Herschel Supply’s China Debut

With a newly opened Shanghai office and a strong showing of upcoming releases at this year’s YO’ HOOD streetwear trade show, Herschel Supply appears ready to take the Middle Kingdom by storm. The Vancouver-based brand, founded by brothers Lyndon and Jamie Cormack, has been producing quintessential bags and accessories for North American urbanites since 2009. Herschel’s foray into China is an opportunity for the brothers to introduce their products and share the brand’s spirit of exploration and thoughtful designs to a new, massive audience.

What sets Herschel apart from all the other brands entering China is its open-mindedness and ambition – the brothers aren’t merely interested in introducing a Western aesthetic into China. Chatting with Lyndon, he shared some plans of upcoming collaborations with local Chinese designers and brands. Speaking passionately, Lyndon says, “Being a global brand is about collaborating with artists around the world and bringing their stories to the global audiences. It’s not enough to bring North American stories to China, we want to bring stories from China back to North America.” Taking into account Herschel’s recent collaboration with Japanese streetwear brand WTAPS, the brand appears genuinely keen on facilitating creative collaborations in not only China but throughout Asia and the rest of the world.

Beyond an interest in the cross-pollination of cultures, Lyndon places great importance on respecting and understanding cultural nuances from region to region. When releasing new collections, the brand carefully considers the needs of different regions in terms of both functionality and aesthetics. Hinting at features of upcoming designs, Lyndon shared his observations of Chinese cities: “Sometimes when you leave home for the day, you won’t return until late at night. In North America, most people rely on cars so they can leave things there and bring more with them. For China, people have to be more thoughtful with what they’re bringing with them every day.”

One of the most surprising aspects of Herschel might be where its products are manufactured. Even though its design aesthetics are firmly rooted in North American heritage, much of Herschel’s products are manufactured in China, a matter that the brand has happily maintained transparency around. “The factories and the amount of technologies in China they’ve been investing in to ensure they’re cutting-edge and leading is far superior to what we’ve seen in other countries,” Lyndon beams. “We want to make our products in the best place we can and it happens to be right here in China.”

As our conversation came to an end, Lyndon optimistically commented on China’s fast-developing fashion scene, “Before, Chinese kids might’ve wanted to be like American kids. Now, Chinese kids want to dress like Chinese kids. I think it’s going to come full circle. What’s going on here is going to influence everything in North America and Europe as well.”